S02.E01: Iceland Was Horrible

[chitowngirl]

Margaret and Todd tackle a case involving a murder on live local morning news and must rethink their working relationship after Todd decides to open his own private investigator business.

[AnimeMania]

Lisa Rinna as Jennifer Gianola
Jeffrey Nordling as Gus Easton
Mark Brandon as James
Matthew Wikas as Lawrence

Thomas Cadrot as Chet Venables
Avery De Wet as Clementine Wright-Venables

[shapeshifter]

Glad this show's back.

Glad MGH's wardrobe is back.

[AnimeMania]

I loved when Todd broke the wine bottle on the dining room table to murder Harry with.

The murder plot was stupid, it seemed like everybody was sleeping with everybody, why wait so long to become offended by it.

[Shelbie]

Glad the show is back but this episode seemed a little too frantic with too many plots going on.

[Silver-hyren]

So did they transfer Chuck's personality onto Margaret's husband? Guess that explains why she was so eager for Allison to marry Chuck.

Literally groaned at the Love Never Dies reference but also appreciate that by that point they were going all in on the Phantom parallels.  This show is always the most fun when it dives feet-first into its silliness. 

[Sarah 103]

2 hours ago, Shelbie said:

Glad the show is back but this episode seemed a little too frantic with too many plots going on.

My guess is that was a function of it being the start of the season and they had multiple things they needed to set up, but I'm pretty sure this was a one time thing. I think now that all the viewers know what is happening/going on with each of the characters, they can settle down for the remaining episodes. 

I am looking forward to the rest of the season. I can't wait to see which perks at the upper level are cut. There is no way Margaret is going to fire junior people while the senior partners get luxury perks (and I realize I am absolutely applying TV Land logic, not real world logic to the situation). 

[iMonrey]

I had sort of forgotten how much I like this show. And it took me a minute to find the forum, it should really be listed as a comedy. It's certainly more comedy than drama. 

I agree there was a lot going on here but that it had a lot of refreshing to do after such a long hiatus. I hope the strike and the break won't adversely affect the ratings. 

Todd's new apartment is stereotypically crappy with a huge neon sign right outside his window.

Dun dun dun . . . so something nefarious is going on between Beverly and Susan WRT to a partnership. Not sure what to make of it, but long-term I see Beverly possibly ousted and Susan made partner in her place after switching sides. I think the old partner probably wasn't the only one embezzling.

During the dinner table scene when they were talking about Allison's hair, Lawrence said she looked like "Bake Clanchett." I rewound and listened twice. Did he mispronounce Cate Blanchett or was it supposed to be a deliberate joke that went over my head?

[Sarah 103]

51 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Todd's new apartment is stereotypically crappy with a huge neon sign right outside his window.

It is, but I also love how proud he is of it. 

Half hour shows are usually labeled as comedies and hour long shows are usually labeled as dramas. So Help Me Todd and shows similar to it are why the category light drama exist. 

[AnimeMania]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

so something nefarious is going on between Beverly and Susan WRT to a partnership.

Susan is one on the richest women in Portland (That is where this show takes place, right?), so Beverly is looking for ways to get a cash infusion. She probably is looking to lock in Susan's husband as a client.

[Silver-hyren]

4 hours ago, iMonrey said:

During the dinner table scene when they were talking about Allison's hair, Lawrence said she looked like "Bake Clanchett." I rewound and listened twice. Did he mispronounce Cate Blanchett or was it supposed to be a deliberate joke that went over my head?

Yes he mispronounced it.  Margaret gets words and names mixed up all the time, so it was probably to show it's a family trait.

[Jeopardy15]

I binge watched this show over the summer. LOVE IT! So glad to have scripted tv back. 

Also, what happened to Lisa Rinna’s face? Botox? Fillers? Botched surgery? I barely recognize her. 

[The Crazed Spruce]

15 hours ago, Jeopardy15 said:

Also, what happened to Lisa Rinna’s face? Botox? Fillers? Botched surgery? I barely recognize her. 

Maybe it was the hairdo. Don't know about you, but I'm not used to seeing her with hair down to her shoulders. Those lips are unmistakable, though.

And it's very telling about the corporate mindset in the firm that the partners meeting, with only two people attending in person, seemed to be fully catered. Especially since the meeting was about personnel cuts to trim the budget.

[iMonrey]

19 hours ago, Jeopardy15 said:

Also, what happened to Lisa Rinna’s face? Botox? Fillers? Botched surgery? I barely recognize her. 

I can't get past the collagen injected duck lips. Is the procedure irreversible, or does she actually think she looks good that way? 

[chitowngirl]

I got the feeling that Susan had something to announce about her marriage to Peter. And she looked like she was googly eyed when Todd gave her a gift. He seems to have (finally) moved on.

[shapeshifter]

43 minutes ago, chitowngirl said:

I got the feeling that Susan had something to announce about her marriage to Peter. And she looked like she was googly eyed when Todd gave her a gift. He seems to have (finally) moved on.

Are you thinking an annulment? Interesting.

 

58 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I can't get past the collagen injected duck lips. Is the procedure irreversible, or does she actually think she looks good that way? 

Apparently a procedure that went bad and was not entirely fixable: lifeandstylemag.com/posts/rhobh-lisa-rinna-plastic-surgery-transformation-photos

I guess the look works for her role in this episode.

Edited February 17 by shapeshifter

[DanaK]

On 2/16/2024 at 5:40 PM, Jeopardy15 said:

Also, what happened to Lisa Rinna’s face? Botox? Fillers? Botched surgery? I barely recognize her. 

I didn’t realize that was Lisa until I just read it here. I definitely didn’t recognize her. I really enjoyed the episode and found it pretty funny, especially with Margaret and Todd continually negotiating his contract; the two actors have such great chemistry. The dinner party was crazy good fun; I was not expecting Todd threatening Harry with a broken wine bottle

It’s going to be interesting to see how things go with the law firm, because the partnership stuff seems like a lot of shenanigans going on there. 

[shapeshifter]

9 hours ago, DanaK said:

I was not expecting Todd threatening Harry with a broken wine bottle

Totally Out Of Character.
I hope this is not going to be a regular behavior for Todd.

[seacliffsal]

I really enjoyed this episode-total entertainment for me from beginning to end.  I only hope the cat gets to stay with Margaret...

Really liked Todd having 'a plan' and getting out on his own.  Laughed throughout Todd's weather update.  Glad this show is back.

[iMonrey]

On 2/18/2024 at 8:14 PM, DanaK said:

I really enjoyed the episode and found it pretty funny, especially with Margaret and Todd continually negotiating his contract; the two actors have such great chemistry.

I got a kick out of his makeshift office with the business card holder that popped up out of his desk and the handmade sign that popped up over the doorway. It was like Inspector Gadget designed the place. This show really borders on farce sometimes, and I have no problem with that. 

[Sarah 103]

On 2/20/2024 at 11:38 AM, iMonrey said:

I got a kick out of his makeshift office with the business card holder that popped up out of his desk and the handmade sign that popped up over the doorway. It was like Inspector Gadget designed the place. This show really borders on farce sometimes, and I have no problem with that. 

I think Todd is about the right generation for Inspector Gadget so you may be onto something. I love that the show is usually just pure silly fun and sometimes goes into farce, with a dash of drama. Not everything needs to be a super serious dark gritty drama. 

[jabRI]

I'm sorry Gus will be out of the picture, he was good for her.  But he was a bit of a d*k coming in uninvited and judging her chaos without letting her talk at all.  I don't fault him dropping by, but it seems like he could have heard her out.

[chediavolo]

On 2/16/2024 at 5:40 PM, Jeopardy15 said:

I binge watched this show over the summer. LOVE IT! So glad to have scripted tv back. 

Also, what happened to Lisa Rinna’s face? Botox? Fillers? Botched surgery? I barely recognize her. 

Just catching up on the show, I love it. But yes, Lisa Rinna’s face kept taking me out of every scene, dear God, she ruined a perfectly lovely face with all that plastic surgery, and those clown lips.

On 2/19/2024 at 6:31 AM, shapeshifter said:

Totally Out Of Character.
I hope this is not going to be a regular behavior for Todd.

Yes! What the hell was that?